Informed CIO: Is Your IT Infrastructure Ready for Mobility?

IT teams can't stop the proliferation of consumer devices accessing their networks, even if they wanted to. Tablets are the latest bandwidth hogs, and as more manufacturers bring these devices to market, competition will cause prices to drop just as technology refinements increase end user satisfaction--and thus use. Don't think the day won’t come when a typical knowledge worker will have a smartphone, a tablet and a laptop all connected to your network at the same time.

Fortunately, you can meet the requirements of an increasingly mobile workforce. In particular, 802.11n enables optimal coverage, reliability and predictability across the corporate network infrastructure for data, voice, video and other services vital to supporting mission-critical mobile applications and services. If you're still nursing along a legacy 11a/b/g system, it's time to upgrade. In many instances, connectivity plans include mesh topology to support communication in emergency situations, outdoors or in harsh environments. At the corporate campus, appropriate media gateways and routing platforms can interconnect with IP PBX systems and external networks. When designing wireless networks, keep in mind that they will need to support multiple operating systems, as well as device types.

In this report, we'll discuss how IT can effectively support an increasing number of personal mobile devices, review best practices to optimize the corporate infrastructure and help organizations realize the benefits of enterprise mobility--all in the context of an infrastructure competency, a critical component of an enterprise mobility strategy. (S4350212)